Effects of acculturation and psychosocial factors in Latino adolescents' TB-related behaviors

Abstract

Objective: To determine the effect of acculturation and psychosocial factors (self-esteem, social support, mastery, and self-efficacy of medication taking) on Latino adolescents' adherence (completion of treatment, percent of appointments kept, number of treatment weeks, and number of days missed medication in past week) to tuberculosis (TB) treatment.

Methods: Participants (N = 618) were recruited from two clinics located in Los Angeles, California, after receiving a positive diagnosis for Class II TB.

Results: Adolescents with high linguistic acculturation and ethnic identification had high mastery, self-esteem and self-efficacy. Teens with high ethnic identification perceived more support from parents. Almost 81% of participants completed treatment and the percentage of appointments kept was 76.3%. A high proportion of those completing the treatment regimen had their parents helping them to remember to take the medication. Older teens were less acculturated, less likely to complete treatment, and had a lower rate of appointment keeping. Age and difficulty in getting to the clinics were predictors of adherence.

Conclusions: This study highlights the importance of parental support and sociocultural factors in adherence to TB treatment in this population.